Tuesday 28 April 1668

Up betimes, and to Sir W. Coventry’s by water, but lost my labour, so through the Park to White Hall, and thence to my Lord Crew’s to advise again with him about my Lord Sandwich, and so to the office, where till noon, and then I by coach to Westminster Hall, and there do understand that the business of religion, and the Act against Conventicles, have so taken them up all this morning, and do still, that my Lord Sandwich’s business is not like to come on to-day, which I am heartily glad of. This law against Conventicles is very severe; but Creed, whom I met here, do tell me that, it being moved that Papists’ meetings might be included, the House was divided upon it, and it was carried in the negative; which will give great disgust to the people, I doubt. Thence with Creed to Hercules Pillars by the Temple again, and there dined he and I all alone, and thence to the King’s house, and there did see “Love in a Maze,” wherein very good mirth of Lacy, the clown, and Wintersell, the country- knight, his master. Thence to the New Exchange to pay a debt of my wife’s there, and so home, and there to the office and walk in the garden in the dark to ease my eyes, and so home to supper and to bed.

An ingrossed Bill for Continuance of a former Act to prevent and suppress seditious Conventicles, was read.

A Proviso relating to Roman Catholicks, was tendered, declaring the Act to be intended against them; and once read: But it being debated, whether that Proviso were proper for the Bill;...it passed in the Negative. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?co...

[ A poison pill inserted by a Cromwellian revanchist, anti-Catholic to the core? ]

Terry's reference to the mills that stood near the estuary of the River Ravensbourne brings the 17th century close to home for me. The Ravensbourne rises very close to my home in Kent and the narrow stream that runs through our garden is a minor tributary of it. Here it is home to freshwater shrimp, newts, frogs and water voles with king-cups, reed, iris, ferns and hellebores along the banks. The Deptford Reach end of the river is not quite so pretty.

Mary, thanks for shewing us that the Bertie Wooster movies are true: that people with houses in Kent study newts, their life cycle, newts in sickness and in health, some even devote their lives to studying newts. Seriously though, we Americans do love Bertie Wooster, who is fictional, and now are watching the Royal Wedding, which is most wonderful.